Temperatures as low as minus 30C in Ukraine next week may damage crops

Extremely low temperatures down to minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit) will hit Ukraine at the beginning of next week, which is very dangerous for winter crops, agricultural analysts and the national emergency service said on Thursday.

A sharp drop in temperature will begin on February 1 and will affect all regions except southern Ukraine and the frosts will begin to ease slightly only on February 4, the service said on the Telegram messenger.

"We consider the current cold spell to be extremely dangerous for winter crops across a significant part of Ukraine," analyst Barva Invest said on Telegram.

Ukraine is a producer of winter wheat, which accounts for about 95% of the total Ukrainian wheat harvest. Winter wheat, which has a higher yield than spring wheat, is sown in autumn and harvested in the summer of the following year.

Barva Invest noted that a combination of severe frosts and insufficient snow cover could affect crops in central, north-eastern and eastern Ukraine.

Frosts will be less severe in southern Ukraine, but there is no snow cover there to protect the crops.

Temperatures dropped to minus 20 C in Ukraine in early January, only easing to above-zero temperatures this week.